The SUNY NCDDG is comprehensive. Within it are programs that study the basic molecular biology of HIV, as well as more applied ones which focus on drug design and drug screening. Three key complex steps of the virus life cycle are under study (assembly, gene regulation by rev and gp120-CD4 interactions). Each of these has the potential to become important targets for anti-viral drugs. Basic research elucidating these steps may eventually lead to rationale drug design. Our specific aims are to a large extent based on work that is already in progress. The individual programs will: 1) Study the virus assembly process in detail using expression vectors and other molecular biological tools (program leader D.Rekosh) 2) Investigate the specific mechanisms underlying rev regulation of HIV expression using in vitro and cell culture assays (program leader M-L Hammarskjold. In addition our group contains a core that will screen for compounds which specifically inhibit rev function (leader R.Ciccarelli, Sterling Research Group).